Production of textile fabrics in formed printed patterns



c. BENER 2,161,223

PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE FABRICS IN FORMED PRINTED PATTERNS June 6, 1939.

Original Filed Oct. 4, 1954 Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE FABRICS IN FORMED PRINTED PATTERNS Christian Bener, Chur, Switzerland, assignor to the firm Raduner & 00., A. G., Horn, Switzerland land October 14, 1933 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of textile fabrics with calender finish effects in printed pattern form and is a division of my Patent No. 2,121,005, dated June 21, 1938.

Hitherto, it was impossible to obtain calender or stamping effects on fabrics in a satisfactory manner, so as to render the fabric fast to aftertreatments, as for example the normal washing. The texture imparted to the textile by calendering 0 the same by pressing, stamping or lapping the fibers automatically changes back to the original state by the fibers reassuming their previous form and relative disposition, when swelling up by being wetted, soaped, steamed or ironed, whereby the effect obtained on the fabric by means of the calender disappears entirely or for the most part.

I have now found that a permanent finish can be obtained by fixing the effects accruing from the calender treatment by means of resin adapted to be hardened. This method ends in the surprising result that the artificial effects and the corresponding form and relative disposition of the textile fibers produced by means of the calender are permanently retained also during washing such fabrics, provided that the resin had been hardened.

It was also known before the present time that, by incorporating in the fibers, that is, introducing into the interior thereof natural or artificial resins or starting components'thereof, in some cases, by subsequently changing the structure of these substances chemically, effects can be obtained which, due to a hardening, i. e. an increase of the resistivity against fiexionand of the elasticity of the fibers, promote the tendency of the fibers to reassume their original form upon deformation. The so-called methods of rendering fabrics resistive against wrinkling are based on this knowledge.

In view of this state of the art, the fact that by aid of exterior and interior deposits of this kind and by hardening the same, textile articles can be arbitrarily compelled to change their surface or form so as to be adapted to permanently withstand the influence of soaking in the wash is a surprising and unexpected technical advance in theart.

The accompanying drawing illustrates several stages of the process and product in which the s impregnating material isapplied to portions of a fabric by printing, calendering, hardening the 'resin, and washing out the calender effect from the unprinted portions. Based on the prior knowledge of rendering textiles resistiveagainst creasing and the relevant at a proper temperature.

experience, one should have expected that all the fibers of the material impregnated in this fashion would tend to reassume their original natural shape and relative dispositions and thus also the surface texture of the material would be recovered, so that for example all textile materials of a smooth surface texture would regain their original smoothness by the wrinkles in the surface disappearing. This'is, however, not so, not even after washing or the like, as the material retains any surface texture or structure which it has been compelled to assume from the start. Thus, not only a mere increase of resistivity against influences tending to disturb the natural fibrous structure of the material is involved, but also an additional stabilising'capacity of the deformed fibrous material.

The products according to the invention are distinguished by a calender-finish which is rendered absolutely fast to washing by being fixed by impregnation with artificial resins that are fast to light and practically odorless and colourless. As resins qualifying for this purpose, carbamide-aldehyde resins may be mentioned or else a mixture of'urea and thio-urea condensation products. Alternatively, the artificial resin used for the impregnation may be combined with sizing, softening, matting or filling materials or with dyestuffs.

By means of the method according to the invention a lasting finish can be applied to a textile, for example, by previously impregnating the fabric with a solution of a resin or a mixture of resins adapted to be hardened in combination with suitable catalysers softening or filling materials, dyestuffs or similar auxiliary materials commonly used in the textile industry, as wetting materials, and thereupon subjecting the fabric in a moist or in dry condition to av calendering The thusly treated fabric is then hardened in a known manner, preferably by a proper treatment by heat. Advantageously, the fabric is subsequently soaped,

washed and dryed. The effects thus obtained withstand wet treatments and washing without losing the calender efiect irrespective of whether,

as the case may be, stamping, feel, gloss moire,

wave, plait, beetle or other effects are-involved. Furthermore, this mode of procedure involves the surprising result that spots arising in the fabric due to drops of certain liquids getting thereon is no longer to be feared, whereby the finishobtained by means of the hitherto known methods was completely destroyed by dulling the finish, or eliminating the stamping effect on the same. The fabrics obtained in this manner can be dyed in normal manner without eliminating the finish.

It is obvious that the substance to be hardened can be applied to the fabric in any other proper manner instead of by impregnation, for example by spraying, printing or the like.

The fabric is submitted to a final heat treatment, after a brief calendering has been applied thereto, in order to harden the resin completely.

The previously mentioned modes of procedure, viz moire, wave, stamping, crepe, lucid gloss, matted gloss, silk lustre, similar imitation mercerizing surface treatment effect and the like are also classified as calender finishing. A finish giving a softer or harder feel can be obtained depending on the substance chosen for the impregnation. It is obvious that the substance used for the impregnation can be modified by the addition of known sizing materials, as starch, dextrin, British gum, etc. In this way the final finish can be varied within wide limits.

The hardening can be effected to advantage in a drying chamber the temperature of which can be controlled, or else on drying cylinders or in calenders or the like. The temperature at which the hardening is effected and the duration of the hardening process depend largely on the chemical nature of the resin, the presence of catalysers, and so on.

As resins adapted to be hardened, particularly artificial resins of the type of carbamide resins are extremely well qualified in this respect on account of being colourless, highly fast to light and adapted to be hardened in an easily variable manner. Furthermore, these resins do not cause fading during storage of the textiles, which is of great importance. 1 Among these carbamide resins the urea and thio-urea condensation products and mixtures of the same of a lower condensation phase are particularly well suited, if soluble in water. All these resins can naturally be applied in combination with catalysers, for influencing the hardening, with dyestuffs, softening, filling, matting or wetting, or other materials commonly used in the textile industry.

The method described can be applied to textile articles such as fabrics or meshed goods of any kind made of any suitable materials, as for example cotton, linen, hemp, ramie, artificial silk composed of cellulose derivatives or mixed fabrics and so forth. Also fabrics that are mercerized or improved by treatment with acid or lye or other swelling agents enter into question. The applicability of the novel method to cotton and artificial silk and to fabrics containing both of these materials is'of particular importance. Very beautiful effects can be obtained also on printed fabrics by means of known calender treatments.

Example 1 A mixed fabric composed of artificial silk and cotton is impregnated following the bleaching and dyeing with a 20% aqueous solution of carbamide resin containing 0.5% of tartaric acid and then the slightly dried fabric is passed through a stamping calender heated to about 150 C. By this passage the pattern is distinctly stamped into the fabric. Thereupon the fabric is hardened in a. drying chamber which is kept heated to 110 C. for about to minutes. On the subsequent washing and drying the stamping pattern is left perfectly intact and remains permanently fast to washing.

Example 2 Example 3 A bleached and dyed satin fabric of cotton, which is prepared the same as described in Example 1, is passed through a Schreiner-calender, subjected to a final hardening, soaped and rinsed. After the drying a silk finish fast to washing obtains.

Example 4 A fabric of artificial silk is subjected in impregnated condition to a calender treatment for matting the same and further treated as specified in Example 1. The thus obtained matting and stiffening remains incorporated in the fabric after the wash.

Example 5 A cotton fabric which is impregnated with a 25% solution of dimethylol-urea is subjected, after being slightly dried, to a calender treatment for obtaining a gloss effect and repeatedly passed to the hot roller of the calender through the chasing apparatus until the hardening is completed. The finishing treatment is applied'to the fabric as explained above.

Example 6 A satin fabric is printed with a printing paste which contains per kilogram of weight, in addition to the usual thickening materials, 225 grams of dimethylol-urea and 75 grams of thio-urea together with 2% .of boric acid (as regards the total amount of dimethylol-urea plus thio-urea) The slightly dried fabric is then. subjected to a hot calender treatment to obtain a high lucidity, finally hardened, washed and dried. The thus treated fabric displays a damask-effect, the printed portions of the fabric being highly lucid, whereas the non-printed portions are dulled. This result is due to the fact that, on washing, the calender finish effect is removed from the unprinted resin-free portion of the fabric but is unaltered on the printed portion.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing the fabric I has been printed in the portions designated by numeral 2 with the impregnating solution. The portions designated 3 are free of the solution. Fig. 2 shows the same fabric after the calendering and hardening of the artificial resin, the calender effect appearing over the entire surface of the fabric. ing out the calender effect from the unprinted portions and drying. The calender effect is retained in the portions containing the condensed resin.

' Example 7 A cotton voile which is-imprinted with vat dyestuffs in a manner fast to washing is impregnated with a solution which contains 20% of a'ureaformaldehyde condensation product soluble in water together with 0.5% of salicyclic acid acting as a catalyser. The precautiously dried fabric is then subjected to a hot treatment in a stamping calender, and thereupon finally hardened at Fig. 3 shows the same fabric after wash- 130 C. for 5 minutes. After the soaping, washing and drying a fabric is obtained which displays a beautiful novel combination efi'ect of colour printing and relief stamping.

In my aforesaid application of which this application is a division, I have disclosed and claimed my invention broadly. In this patent I'diaim only the production of textile fabrics having calender finish fects in printed pattern form.

I claim:

1. Process for producing substantially permanent calender finish effects in pattern form on cellulose tetxile fabrics, comprising printing the pattern on the fabric with a solution of the components of a resin capable of being hardened by heat treatment, drying the fabric slightly or to a moist condition, then changing the form and relative disposition of the fibers to impart to the slightly moist fabric and altered texture by subjecting the fabric to a hot calender treatment, thereupon subjecting the calendered fabric to a heat treatment to harden said resin in the printed portions of the fabric completely up to the final state, then subjecting the heat treated fabric to a washing that removes the calender effect from the unprinted portion of the fabric, leaving the calender effect only on the printed portion, which calender effect is substantially" fast to water or repeated washings with soap and water.

2. Process for producing substantially permanent calender finish effects in pattern form on cellulose textile fabrics, comprising printing the pattern on the fabric with a solution of an artificial resin capable of being hardened, subjecting the fabric to a calender-treatment before the resin has hardened to change the form and relative disposition of the fibers to impart to the fabric an altered texture, hardening the resin, then subjecting the fabric to a washing that removes the calender effect from the unprinted portion of the fabric, leaving the calender efiect only on the printed portion.

3. A cellulose textile fabric in printed pattern form, the printed portions of the pattern form having the form and relative disposition of the fibers changed by a calender finish effect, the calender finish effect in the printed portions being fixed by a hardened artificial resin and being substantially permanent to the effects of washing with water or soap and water solutions.

4. A cellulose textile fabric in printed pattern form, the printed portions of the fabric being coated with a hardened artificial resin and having the form and relative disposition of the fibers changed by a calender finish efiect, the unprinted portions being dull, the finish effect in the printed portions being substantially permanent to the effects of washing with water or soap and water.

5. A cellulose textile fabric in printed pattern form, the printed portions of the fabric bein coated with a hardened carbamide resin and having the form and relative disposition of the fibers changed by a calender finish effect, the unprinted portions being dull, the finish effect in the printed portions being substantially permanent to the effects of washing with water or soap and water.

CHRISTIAN BENER. 

